Skiing in Banff: a Guide for British Tourists
Mount Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise make up the three ski areas of Banff. All three resorts are unique in their own way with Mount Norquay being the closest to town, a quick 15 minute drive from downtown.
Mount Norquay is particularly popular with ski racers and locals who like steep fall line skiing; this is what the resort is really all about. Although the ski area is relatively quiet with a spacious and charming lodge, the skiing is not really suited to beginner and novice skiers. Unless you are a competent parallel skier, the trails at Norquay will seem daunting. My advice as a former ski instructor in the area would be to recommend this resort to “seasoned’ skiers” who like the challenge of steeps, bumps and hard pack conditions.
Sunshine Village is the next resort closest to town and can be found by driving West on Highway 1 towards Lake Louise. The drive takes approximately 30 minutes but can take longer on stormy days. Once you arrive at the car park you must ride the gondola to reach the ski area. This takes about twenty two minutes normally. Sometimes on very cold days (Often in December and January) the gondola will not run first thing probably for safety reasons. There are also occasions when windy conditions affect the time duration of the gondola ride.
he skiing conditions at Sunshine Village are generally excellent from early December (and often earlier) until late May. This is primarily due to its location and relatively high altitude which is comparable to high elevation European resorts.
Most British tourists who visit Sunshine Village fall in love with the scenery, light snow and skiing. The resort is of average size (compared to European and US resorts) and the trails are suitable for all levels except experts. If you are a “die hard” skier who has skied some of the serious resorts of the world you may find Sunshine unimpressive. This is because the trails are relatively short and not particularly steep. Delirium Dive is the one exception but this area is often closed for much of the season for safety reasons.
If you are a beginner skier you may find the learning area small and often crowded on weekends and holidays. However once you graduate away from this area you will find many enjoyable “green trails” to keep you happy.
For Intermediate skiers who make parallel turns or semi parallel turns Sunshine Village is a perfect place to ski. The vast majority of trails here are ideally suited for this level of skier who will love the wide open slopes and great conditions.
Sunshine Village is a truly beautiful resort to see and ski at. Most people who come here have a positive skiing experience and except for the cold weather (December and January particularly) it is hard to fault Sunshine.
The last area that makes up the ski areas of Banff is Lake Louise. Lake Louise is particularly good for intermediate to advanced skiers. Although the ski area is relatively big most of the trails are not particularly suited for beginner and novice skiers. The initial learning area however is very good (with the exception of the T-bar lift which most beginners and novices dislike). However once this area is mastered (usually between one and three days) the next step is relatively large.
Although there are many “green trails” on the front side and backside of the mountain, most of them are not particularly easy. What compounds this problem is that the front side is often hard packed and scraped due to the artificial snow that is made here. The backside does not suffer with this problem however the only trail down the mountain is a narrow path which is often intimidating for novice skiers.
For most intermediate skier’s Lake Louise is normally a wonderful experience with an abundance of long trails. In my opinion the better skiing is to be found on the backside particularly the Larch Area. Advanced skiers will also love the backside particularly on a “powder day”.
To sum up my analysis of the three areas and where one should ski when visiting Banff this is my recommendation.
Mount Norquay
Mount Norquay is ideally suited to competent parallel skiers and not beginner or novices.
Lake Louise
If you are a first time skier Lake Louise has the best learning area of all three mountains. Except for the T-bar lift, most beginner and early novice skiers make good progress here. Lake Louise is not so good for the same skiers after two days of learning as the next step up the mountain is quite challenging for most. Many of the Lake Louise “green trails” are steep, narrow or hard pack. The front side of the mountain (especially lower down nearer the bottom) is often icy and hard packed due to man made snow. The backside of the mountain is usually much better for most levels of skier.
Sunshine Village
Sunshine Village is ideal for most skiers except experts. The resort has a small beginner area that gets busy on weekends and holidays. The scenery and snow at Sunshine Village are breathtaking and except for the early season (December and January when it can be very cold) Sunshine skiing is hard to fault.
If you are a competent parallel skier I would suggest you try all three resorts and decide for yourself which is your favourite. Happy skiing this winter.
I am a professional ski teacher and graduate of Recreation Management. For twenty three years I have been involved with skiing in one form or another. At present I live in Banff, Alberta where I am activley involved with my websites www.stuffuknow.com an informational site about Calgary and the Rockies, and www.theskicoach.com a site about a new innovative ski improvement product.
